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Saturday, July 27, 2013

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

Rigged Panchayat Elections in West Bengal

The
three-tier panchayat elections in West Bengal which have just
concluded, has led to an unprecedented situation. The entire election
has been marred by widespread attacks, intimidation and rigging.
Thousands of candidates were prevented from filing nominations. In many
places opposition candidates were prevented from conducting their
election campaign among the people; the polling process was vitiated by
widespread rigging, prevention of people casting their votes and
violence against opposition candidates, their polling agents and
supporters.

The run-up to the panchayat election
saw determined efforts by the Trinamool Congress government to subvert
the polling process itself. It required the State Election Commission
going to the High Court and eventually the Supreme Court to get a
decision to have a five-phase polling (against the wishes of the state
government) and the direction to deploy central police forces along with
the state police.

Despite these verdicts, the TMC
government did everything to undermine these decisions. The Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee herself declared that central police forces
need not be deployed. Shockingly, ministers in the government publicly
threatened the State Election Commissioner and warned her of dire
consequences. Defying the court order, the central police forces were
not deployed at the polling stations with a few exceptions.

In
the run-up to the elections, there were widespread attacks on the Left
Front and the opposition. Around six thousand CPI(M) and Left Front
candidates were physically prevented from filing their nominations. This
led to a situation wherein for the Zilla Parishads in Hooghly, out of
the total of 50 seats, the Left Front could not file candidates in 10
seats. In 6191 seats in the three-tier panchayats, TMC candidates were
declared elected unopposed.

During the campaign,
TMC ministers and leaders made the most provocative speeches inciting
violence against all opponents. No action was taken against them. All
through the campaign Left Front and Congress candidates were attacked,
their campaigners including women beaten up and injured.

During
the polling which began on July 11 and concluded on July 25 what was
witnessed was a state-sponsored rigging of the elections by the TMC. In
all the districts put together, a total of 4470 booths were completely
or partially captured. For instance, in Burdwan district 909 booths, 750
in West Midnapur, 429 in South 24 Parganas and 400 booths in Coochbehar
were captured. (See Annexure I).

In many booths,
polling agents of the CPI(M) and the Left Front were driven out after
which stamping of ballot papers took place. In fact all opponents of the
ruling party faced a similar situation in many areas. In many areas
from the morning itself people were not allowed to leave their homes in
the villages to go to the polling booths to vote. Hundreds of Left Front
supporters and workers of other opposition parties were injured in
attacks when they attempted to go for polling. Many of them have
suffered serious injuries and have been hospitalized. Even some
candidates to the three tier Zilla Parishad, Panchayat Samiti and Gram
Panchayat were not allowed to vote in many places. Even two Members of
Parliament, Mahendra Roy in Jalpaiguri district and Nripen Roy in
Coochbehar district were prevented from voting.

The
state police which was stationed at the polling booths refused to
intervene when attacks took place of workers and voters of the Left
Front. In many instances, the police lathicharged or arrested those who
were resisting the attacks or asserted their right to vote. In a planned
manner, the central police forces were not deployed in many of the
hypersensitive and sensitive booths.

Despite the
orders of the State Election Commission and the High Court directive
motorcycle gangs were not stopped and were allowed to move freely to
terrorise the opposition and the voters. Even on the day of polling
these gangs threatened people from going to polling booths.

The
violence during the election campaign and during the polling has led to
the deaths of 24 CPI(M) workers and supporters. (See Annexure II).

At
no time has such a brazen attack and perversion of the democratic
process of elections taken place in West Bengal or in the entire
country.

The results of such a rigged election can only be a distorted one.

Annexure – I

Booths Captured

Phase

District

No. of Booths

I

Paschim Medinipur

750

Purulia

0

Bankura

34

II

Hooghly

731

Purba Medinipur

241

Bardhaman

909

III

North 24 Parganas

311

South 24 Parganas

429

Howrah

291

IV

Malda

99

Murshidabad

19

Nadia

97

Birbhum

140

V

Coochbehar

400

Jalpaiguri

0

Uttar Dinajpur

0

Dakshin Dinajpur

19

Total

4470

N.B.: Over and above the figure of captured booths mentioned in the list, a good number of booths were partially captured.

In
some cases, voters were not allowed to enter the booth or after
two/three hours of polling the Left parties’ polling agents were driven
out from the polling station and TMC people stamped on the ballot paper
indiscriminately.

In certain centres, after
complaints were lodged with the State Election Commission or District
Panchayat Election Officer, police intervention took place and polling
resumed at the polling Centre.